


Okay, so it may be broken, but I don’t want it fixed.

by Whambamthanksbatfam



Series: Lost in the Past, Found in the Future? [6]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Sibling Relationship, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Big Brother Jason Todd, Brotherly Bonding, Brotherly Love, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Humor, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Medical Conditions, Protective Damian Wayne, The Batfam equivalent to brotherly bonding, batfamily, schemeing, schemes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-27
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 12:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14449494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whambamthanksbatfam/pseuds/Whambamthanksbatfam
Summary: Jason and Damian put their plan into action.





	Okay, so it may be broken, but I don’t want it fixed.

This was it. Bruce was gonna put him in Arkham. Red Hood was running from Batman on the rooftops. Okay, maybe Jason shouldn’t have killed  _ all _ the guys, but it isn’t like they didn’t deserve it. He had Damian to help him escape last time, but Bruce probably wouldn’t let the boy anywhere near the cells now. Jason was still running when he heard an explosion. 

 

He fell off the building from the shock.  _ Better than Arkham _ , Jason thought as he fell. Then he felt a rope wrap around him and go taut. Who was it?

 

No other than Damian Wayne.  _ Why is this kid always saving me? He’s like 8. _

“Hey, kid,” Jason gave him a smirk.

“Call me a kid again, and I’ll drop you, Todd.” Jason chuckled.

“You must really like me. Since you’re helping me and all. What did the big guy to last time you helped me?” Damian finished helping Jason up, and they began to run. The Batman was still going to be after them.

“Nothing, he still had to punish me for killing an assassin that ambushed me, so it got lost in the crossfire. Also, you are adequate.”

“Noice.”

“What?”

“Noice.”

“What is noice?” Damian said it with utter disdain.

“Like nice, but with an o.”

“That’s not a word.”

“It’s slang.” Damian rolled his eyes.

“Slang is not proper.” It was Jason’s turn to roll his eyes. They got to one of Jason’s safe houses and slid through the window. 

“May I stay here tonight,” Damian asked with a tone that didn’t have the same condescension his usual one had.

“Sure. Trouble in paradise?”

“Father won’t leave me alone.”

“About what?”

“Pennyworth’s absurd body check.” Jason wondered why the boy wouldn’t let Alfred, but figured he’d tell if he wanted to. He’s not as pushy as Dick and Bruce are. 

“Hmm. Hungry?” Jason began to pull out ingredients.

“Father put antipsychotics in those. He was doing it before he started chasing you.” Jason’s jaw dropped.

“I can’t believe him! Has he done it before?”

“No. He believed that it was the next best option since you wouldn't go to therapy. He tried to do it to me, but I check my food for poison before I eat it.”

“How do you make time to notice all this?”

“I don’t go to school, have close acquaintances, or leave the house. I have all the time I need for any endeavor I choose to do.”

“So spying on Bruce is your endeavor?”

“And spying on Drake. I spy on Grayson when he comes.”

“Do you spy on me?”

“I used to.”

“Why don’t you anymore?”

“I always know where you are or am with you.” 

“Creepy,” Jason chuckled.

“Vigilance is a key life skill.” 

“Okay, Baby Bat. Pizza or Chinese?”

“I don’t care, Todd. There are more important things right now.”

“What?”

“You really want to live with the possibility that everything you consume, or even breathe, could be tainted with medication?”

“You’re right. What to do, what to do.”

“Confrontation or Deception?” They sat down on the sofa, and Jason pulled out a notepad.

“Deception. We could tell him we’re going to therapy.” Jason began to write down the plan.

“Make up a fake identity.”

“He’d want to meet the person.” Jason chewed on the his pencil’s eraser. 

“We can find someone.”

“Who?”

“I know someone.”

“Okay. What’s the plan name?”

“What?”

“We need a plan name.”

“I don’t know, Todd. You choose whatever brainless name we need for the plan.”

“Okay,” Jason tapped the pencil on his chin, “Operation Joker.” Damian scoffed.

“Whatever you want, Todd.” The boys schemed a bit more before the food came. They ate and went to bed at about 4:00 am.

… 

That next morning, Damian could feel it. His feet. There were some days when he couldn’t walk without unbearable pain. The nerves were damaged and hypersensitive. When he was 6, he was made to walk across hot coals to learn strength. The soles of his feet were burned off. They healed, but some days they really hurt. 

 

He was laying on the sofa, but he didn’t want to get up. “Baby Bat,” Jason singsoned. “Oh, you’re up. You gonna get up?”

“I am fine here, Todd.” 

“You sick?” Jason came closer.

“No.”

“Then why don’t you want to get up?” He crouched in front of Damian.

“No reason.” Jason began to poke Damian all over he body. Damian didn’t react. Then he poked his foot, and Damian hissed in pain.

“What’s wrong with your feet?”

“Nothing.” Jason reached to touch them again. “Fine.” Damian explained the problem with his feet. 

“Do you wanna go home or…” Jason wasn’t really sure what to do. Should he call Dick?

“I am fine here.”

“Okay, well I need to go buy some food since all mine is drugged. Do you want me to call Dick?”   
“No. He’ll find your safe house.” Jason loved how Damian cared about that. The boy didn’t often show he cared about things.  

“Do you need any pain meds?”

“I don’t do ‘pain meds.’” Damian used air quotes. Jason rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll be back in like 2 hours tops. If you change your mind you can call Dick.” Damian nodded and turned his back to Jason, facing the sofa. Jason left the remote in reach, and reluctantly left. He hated that Damian had to deal with this. Had the boy walked around in excruciating pain to hide this? He debated calling Dick anyway, but Damian may not want to see him.

 

Jason doesn’t know when he started liking Damian, or when the boy started finding him ‘adequate.’ It just kinda happened. They just clicked. He spent more time at the manor now. He’s pretty sure everyone has noticed, but no one comments. 

 

Damian doesn’t know when he started finding Jason adequate, or when Jason started ‘liking’ him. It just happened. They made a good team. Also, Jason wasn’t the worst person for Damian to be around. He could appreciate the man’s morbid, violent humor, and Jason could tolerate Damian’s quips at everything he comes into contact with. 

…

When Jason got back to the apartment, he made breakfast and put the food away. Then he got a call from Bruce demanding that Damian come home now. So, Damian changed clothes and Jason helped him into the car. They got to the manor in about an hour. It would be closer, but Wayne Manor is so far from the city. 

 

Damian was going to walk into the manor, refusing to suffer the indignity of being carried again. But Jason didn’t want that, so Damian played sleep, and Jason brought him in that way. Jason had to hold back a laugh when Bruce asked him how he was. Weirdly, Bruce followed him to Damian’s room. 

 

Jason laid Damian in the bed gingerly, and covered him up. As he was leaving, he noticed Bruce was walking towards Damian. The boy was still playing sleep, so he couldn’t do anything. “What’re you doing?” Bruce looked up guiltily.

“He’s been hiding something. I just want to see what that is.”

“Leave him alone. If he wants to tell you, he will when he’s ready.” Jason doesn’t even know what Damian’s hiding, but he is a strong believer in ‘Mind your own business.’ 

“Jay--”

“Don’t ‘Jay’ me. Leave him alone, and let him sleep.” 

“I’m not gonna hurt him.” Bruce slowly grabbed the end of Damian’s shirt. The boy stirred, turned on his abdomen, and groaned a bit. That was the most he could do without blowing his cover though.

“B, leave him alone.” Jason walked back up to the bed. Bruce left quickly then.

“Your help was appreciated, Todd.” Damian turned his head to the side.

“No problem. See you later?”

“Are you staying for dinner?” Jason had learned to read Damian’s practically nonexistent social cues. He could tell Damian probably wanted him too, so, even though he didn’t want to out of fear that his food would be drugged, he obliged.

“Yeah, wanna go to the library?” Damian sat up and nodded. Jason picked him up, and stealthily went to the library. 

… 

They stayed in the library until dinner. By that time, Damian’s feet were better, so he walked. Jason sat by Alfred and facing Tim, while Damian sat by him, and faced Dick. Everyone began to eat, but Damian and Jason. Damian sniffed the plates, and they were indeed drugged. “I’m not hungry,” Damian stated quietly. 

“Yeah, I’m good.” Jason went along with Damian’s plan. 

“This is your favorite, Master Jason,” Alfred was confused. Jason didn’t know what to say, but Damian saved him.

“We are plagued with food poisoning from our dinner last night,” he said in his usual monotone. Jason just nodded his head. 

“Okay,” Dick singsonged.

“Some water then,” Alfred asked.

“No, thank you,” Jason blurted out.

“I am fine, but the offer is appreciated, Pennyworth.”  _ Damian is so much better at keeping his cool, _ Jason thought. The rest of the table finished eating, and Damian and Jason went to leave when they were intercepted by Alfred.

“Some medicine to settle your tummies.” They smiled and took the pills, Alfred then went to the table Jason went to put them in his mouth when Damian bumped him.  _ Oh, they’re meds, but not for our stomachs. That sneaky Butler. _ Jason was brought out of his thoughts when Damian tugged his hand and walked to his room. 

 

When they got to the room Damian flushed the pills in his bathroom, and went back into his room. “Man, they almost got me.”

“You’re a disgrace, Todd.” Damian sat down, wincing slightly.

“Feet still bothering you?” Jason sat down by him.

“I’ll be fine.”

“When are we putting our plan into play?” Damian leaned against Jason. He’d never done that before. It freaked Jason out at first, but then he liked it. That meant the boy liked him and trusted enough to let his guard down a bit. 

“Tomorrow,” Damian said, “Are you…,” Damian yawned, “... staying the night?”

“I got some Red Hood business, but I’ll come back after.” Damian nodded then went to get ready for bed. 

… 

The plan was put into action. Damian and Jason walked into the study, where Bruce was working, and stood there until he looked up. Damian gave Jason a crash course in acting, so the looked believable. “Father,” Damian said it bashedly. Eliciting pity from Bruce. 

“Yes?”

“We,” Jason began. He rolled on the balls of his feet and kept his head down. “Are willing to try your idea.” Damian began to fidget too. Looking anywhere but his father’s face. Bruce, unsettled by his sons’ behavior, cleared his throat.

“What plan?” Damian flinched, and Jason’s breathing hitched.

“The… therapy one,” Jason said it in a small, quiet voice. Bruce, even with his trained ears, couldn’t hear it. 

“The what?”

“Therapy,” Damian blurted softly. Bruce’s face softened.  _ They’re taking my advice. That’s great! I can stop sneaking things into their food. That plan would have worked too though. They didn’t even know. I need to stay calm and not scare them away. _

“Okay.” Before Bruce could say anything else Damian interrupted.

“We found someone to which we want to go.”  _ Could this be a trick? _ Bruce thought. 

“May I see this person’s card?” Damian nodded carefully and handed him a business card. The card was a calm beige with calligraphic black letters. It had a name, address, and number. Bruce decided to call her. He dialed the number, Jason and Damian kept their facade while he did.

_ “Harper-Hollister Counseling. How can I help you?” _ A clearly female voice answered the phone. Bruce wasn’t expecting that. He stuttered a bit, then answered.

“Hi, may I speak with, um, Dr. Hollister please?”

_ “Of course! One minute sir. May I ask who this is?” _

“B-Bruce Wayne.” The woman squealed before regaining her composure.

_ “Yes sir, and don’t worry. We’re discreet.”  _ About 30 seconds later Helen answered the phone.

_ “Hello?” _

“Hi, this is Bruce Wayne.”

_ “Oh, hello!” _

“I’m in need of a counselor for my sons. You were suggested.”

_ “Great! You can talk with my secretary to make appointments. We’re discreet, so don’t worry about details being spilled.” _

“Okay, thank you.” Bruce was transferred back to the secretary, and made all the arrangements.

 

“Well, I’m glad you decided to take my advice.” Bruce said it warmly. The boys didn’t answer, they just nodded their heads, and practically ran out the room. 

 

They got back into Damian’s room and could finally relax. “Whoo,” Jason breathed.

“You were sufficient, Todd. Though my skills are far superior.

“Thanks,” Jason chuckleed, taking the half-compliment. Dr. Helen Hollister was a close acquaintance (read: friend) of Damian. Her father was in the league before his untimely death at the hands of Slade. He convinced his mother to have an American funeral for him so that Helen and her mother could come. She helped Damian sometimes when he didn’t want his father to see when he’d been punished.

 

They’d have ‘appointments’ with her weekly. So, now their problem with Bruce was solved and they could go back to eating without fear of being drugged. They were about to go get some celebratory ‘frozen cow fat’, when Dick came storming in the room. “You guys are going to therapy!” He looked distressed. Jason was about to tell Dick the truth when he kept yelling. “Now B is gonna make me go to counseling! I don’t wanna. I think I handle my issues pretty well. Better than him at least. How could you guys do this without consulting me!?” Dick was practically crying and on the floor rocking back and forth.  _ Maybe he could benefit _ , Jason and Damian thought.

“Calm down, Grayson,” Damian said as he patted Dick’s head. Jason pulled him into a half hug. They weren’t very good at this whole comforting thing. It showed. 

“I don’t wanna go to therapy,” Dick blubbered. The boys told Dick the whole story, and he was so relieved. He finally pulled himself together. “You guys scared me.” Dick did a whole 180 in like ten minutes. How!?

“How do you know Father is going to make you go to therapy?”

“He said you guys were, and so I should too. Apparently I have unreconciled issues from watching my parents fall from thousands of feet.” Damian and Jason looked confused. “Apparently a lot of trauma comes from seeing your parents dead, bloodied, and mutilated.”  _ Eh, we’re normal. It’s the rest of the world that’s weird _ , Jason and Damian laughed to themselves. “I think he’s projecting. I mean if anyone has issues, it’s Bruce.” They all murmured agreements to that.

“You could have B schedule you with our ‘doctor.’”

“I so am!” Dick squealed. “Hey, maybe Timmy can come!”

“No, leave Drake.”

“Why,” Dick frowned.

“What problems does he even have, Grayson?”

“Abandonment, child neglect, self esteem issues, etc.”

“Fine, but only because it is believable.” 

… 

The boys came back from their first ‘therapy session.’ They all had a blast, but they feigned contemplation as they walked in the manor. Alfred greeted them with cookies because of his pride in their facing their problems, and not being fine with the emotional constipation instilled in them by their parents, both biological and adoptive. 

 

They took the cookies then went off to do their own things. Damian went to the library to find a new book, and Jason, who claimed he had nothing better to do, followed him. Dick drove back to Bludhaven because he had work tomorrow, and Tim began to work through some case files.


End file.
